Many ask "How can God let something like this happen?" We are God's Children. We have been given free will. Unless we consciously and willingly turn our free will over to Him, our actions are our own.

We humans are on an evolutionary path. Like all creation, we originated in a blessed state of unconsciousness.; being part of All, but not aware of our part. Becoming sentient (aka 'eating of the tree of knowledge') was our birth into self-awareness. Evolution is, in general, a gradual process. As baby sentients, our consciousness was not developed enough to grasp our true state of being of, from and with the Universal Spirit. Our brains developed egos (aka 'original sin') as a defense against feeling lost in our new awareness of being. Our connection to God was never lost, but our egos created the illusion of separateness. From this state, we do much 'evil' in an effort to protect what we see as our fragile existence.

It is critical for a child to learn through trial and error, through making mistakes and experiencing consequences. So do we evolving humans make mistakes, individually and collectively, as we evolve to consciousness and re-unification. Paradoxically, as we evolve as a species, so does our ability to do great works of either harm or reunion.

Remember that nothing eternal can be harmed. Our core being, our spirits and our connection to All is eternal. Weep for the losses of the families, for the rent in the fabric of our society. Be comforted in that the souls of those whose earthly lives were lost could not be, and were not harmed.

All energy is ultimately of the same source. Our human suffering pushes us further down the evolutionary path by causing us to pay attention. How many have had to hit bottom before being awakened? God is not acting through us when we commit atrocities, but He is still present. There is no thing so evil that it cannot be turned into fuel for our individual and collective growth. From our worst acts, goodness can emerge as the Light transforms the darkness. As we consciously participate in each transformation, our human evolution back to our spiritual home proceeds.

So weep, but do not despair. One person has released his individual and collective pain into our awareness. Our prayers, acts of love and refreshed gratitude for our own blessings manifest Light. Together, of, from and with God, we transform and triumph over this darkness. Let us make of this a gift that takes us one step closer to living Awake. One step closer to home.